1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a board for supporting a rider to glide on a low friction surface and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for stabilizing the position of a rider on a skim board for gliding on shallow surf.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of riding boards to traverse by gliding on low friction surfaces is a popular recreational activity. Sleds, downhill skis, and snowboards are commonly used equipment to traverse ice and snow covered surfaces. Bodyboards and surfboards are used to ride the front face of a breaking wave at a sea coast. Surfboards are longer than bodyboards so as to allow the surfer to stand on the upper surface of the surfboard and move along the length of the board during the course of riding a wave. Bodyboards are smaller than surfboards because the rider is in a prone position on the board. Only the upper part of the rider's body is supported by the board with the legs extending from the board into the water. The rider of a bodyboard does not stand on the bodyboard in comparison with a surfboard. However, with both a surfboard and a bodyboard the rider relies upon shifting body weight to control the direction of travel of the board through the surf.
Surfboards and bodyboards are used in heavy surf and in deeper water. Conventionally, bodyboards are self-propelled for riding the surf along the beach. It is also known to ride a wakeboard as it is pulled behind a motor boat, as a modification to water skiing. A wakeboard resembles a surfboard, in that the rider stands on a elongated board which is shorter in length than a surfboard. Like a snowboard, a wakeboard is provided with fixed bindings for each foot where the rider stands sideways, as on a skateboard.
A further modification of a wakeboard is a wakeskate, which has a shape and configuration similar to a wakeboard, but the rider's feet are not confined to bindings. The rider of a wakeskate is also pulled behind a motor boat. A wakeskate can be used freestyle on shallow water, such as in ocean surf or on inland shallow water surfaces.
In comparison with wakeboards and wakeskates, skim boards are used to glide on the receding wave along an ocean shoreline or any other body of shallow water. In comparison to a snowboard and a skateboard, skim boards have a flat football-like shape. Commonly, skim boards are fabricated of fiber glass or wood or combinations thereof and generally range in length between about 42 inches to 44 inches. For children and younger riders, a skim board is shorter in length than for an adult rider. Skim boards are self-propelled. Instead of riding a wave as it breaks onto a shoreline, a skim boarder rides the end of a breaking wave as it recedes from the shoreline. The skim board glides over several inches of water as the wave dissipates on the sand surface. It is also known to use skim boards to ride breaking waves in deeper water in the manner of using a bodyboard.
With all of the above-described board sports, the rider is seeking to enhance the riding experience by maximum comfort and control of movement of the board on the low friction surface, such as snow, ice, water, or surf. Accordingly, to enhance the rider's comfort and control on a riding board, a number of training aids and accessories have been proposed. In the sport of snowboarding, it is known to attach handles to the snowboard to aid the rider in achieving improved balance and control of the snowboard.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0070175 discloses a snowboard having front and rear flexible cords attached to the snowboard. The rider grasps the front cord with one hand and the rear cord with the other hand. By grasping the cords, the rider is able to obtain stability and balance on the board.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,455 discloses a snowboard converted into a snow scooter by the provision of a two handle assembly attached to the front and rear portions of the snowboard. The rider stands on the middle of the snowboard and grasps the two handles to control the movement of the board without the use of foot bindings.
For beginners, mastering a board sport is very difficult because of the athletic skill required to maintain stability and balance on the board while controlling the direction of movement of the board. U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,657 discloses a training device for teaching a rider how to balance and control a snowboard by the provision of a handle device that is retrofitted to an existing snowboard to eliminate the need for foot bindings so that the rider's position is not locked onto the snowboard. Front and rearwardly positioned handles extend upwardly from the snowboard, and the rider stands between and grasps the handles.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,804 discloses a further embodiment of a snowboard using a handle as a training aid. A handle is pivotally connected to the front end of the snowboard and extends upwardly and rearwardly in an arcuate path to a position convenient for the rider to grasp while standing on the board. A similar training device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,313 having a pivotal handle extending from the front of a monoski rearwardly to where the rider stands or sits on the ski. The handle is pivotal to a position where it is grasped by the rider standing on the board or to a lower position where the rider is seated on the board.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,150 discloses a training device to teach beginning downhill skiers how to control speed and direction of travel. The skier uses a pair of conventional downhill skis with a monoski having a handle positioned forwardly and centered on the downhill skis. The skier grasps the handle of the third ski and does not use conventional ski poles to maintain balance and control direction.
French Patent Nos. 2732609 and 2732610 and Japanese Patent Document 2001-310008 disclose training devices for teaching beginners how to use a snowboard. The snowboard includes a handle that is secured to and extends upwardly from a selected position on the board. Grasping the handle provides the rider with greater stability on the board in gliding on the snow surface.
Devices for maintaining control and balance on an aquatic board have also been proposed as, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,376. A bodyboard is provided with a handle positioned centrally close to the surface of the board at the forward edge thereof. The handle provides the rider with more control when riding the board and, as a result, helps to keep the rider on the board during use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,351, a bodyboard is provided with a handle assembly that includes a handle bar formed of left and right bars extending outwardly from a base that is positioned centrally on the forward end portion of the bodyboard. U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,675 is example of a bodyboard provided with a pair of rudders positioned laterally at the forward end portion of the bodyboard. The rudders are connected to a single handle by a pulley and belt mechanism to allow the rider to steer the bodyboard via turning the rudders in unison through the single handle.
In the use of a wakeboard, Japanese Patent Document 63-88362 discloses two embodiments for controlling the movement of a wakeboard by the rider standing in one embodiment on the wakeboard and in a second embodiment extending the body prone from the rear of the wakeboard. In the case of surfboards, U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,208 proposes a flexible handle that is raised from a stored position on a surfboard to an extended position for grasping by the surfer standing on the board. The surfer grasps the handle to press his feet against the surfboard to allow the surfer to perform aerial maneuvers not otherwise attainable with a conventional surfboard.
Skim boarding presents the rider with a challenge of maintaining balance while controlling the movement of the board as it glides on the shallow wake of a wave washing over the surface of a beach. Unlike surfboards, bodyboards, and wakeboards, skim boards are used in very shallow water at the surf's edge on the beach. Also, unlike the other types of boards described above, a skim board is propelled by the rider performing what is known as the “run-drop-slide” technique. Preferably, the technique is performed on a flat beach which provides the rider with a long gentle run in comparison with a rider on a beach having a steeper slop to provide a faster ride in a shorter time interval.
The rider standing at the shoreline grasps the skim board in both hands, one midway along each edge and holds the board to one side of the body. Waiting for the ideal wave and judging the timing of the wave is critical in initiating the “run-drop-slide” technique. The rider can glide atop a wave as it crashes onto the beach or wait for the wave to recede back into the ocean.
With the skim board in hand, the rider runs to approach a wave at a 45° angle. As the wave begins to recede on the beach to a depth of about 3 inches, the rider throws the board flat onto the shallow water. The board skims on the surface of the water as the rider runs along side of the board. At the optimum time, the rider jumps onto the board with one foot positioned at the back of the board followed by the second foot positioned forwardly on the board. Both feet are angled on the board so that the toes point to one side of the board. The rider's weight is centered and balanced on the board. With this maneuver successfully completed, the rider will skim along the inches of water receding from the beach.
A successful skim board ride will be determined to a great extent by the rider maintaining his weight centered on the board so that the board does not slide out from underneath the rider, causing the rider to be hurled off the board onto the sandy shore. Because maintaining balance is such a difficult maneuver, a rider will experience many wipeouts before he masters the technique of skimming across the surface of the water. If the rider's balance is not centered, then the tip of the skim board will dig into the sand or the skim board will slip out from underneath the rider.
One of the most difficult aspects of skim boarding for the rider to master is to synchronize the speed of running on the beach with the speed of the board after it is dropped onto the surf. If the rider does not jump onto the board at the right speed, then he will lose his balance and fall off the board. When the rider falls off the board, he losses control of it which can continue to skim at high speed. This presents a dangerous condition to bystanders on the beach in being struck by the runaway skim board.
Because skim boarding requires good body control and coordination, it is a difficult technique to master. For this reason, learning to ride a skim board is frustrating to most users, and particularly, beginners and the younger riders. Therefore, there is need for an apparatus that makes it easier for a rider of a skim board to learn the techniques of timing and balance that are essential for successful skim board operation.